H.S. Football Notebook: Powel is presiding over renaissance at Carroll

By MATT SMITH

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Joe Powel understood what he was getting into when he took the head coaching position at Archbishop Carroll. The program was rebuilding, and he was the right person to lead it into the next era of great Carroll football.

Though the rebuilding phase remains a long-term process, Powel has seen nothing but positive results in his second season at the helm.

"I have a bunch of seniors that wanted to take that next step for the program," Powel said. "... We're very close to seeing that goal set to make the (Catholic League) AA playoffs."

The Patriots (3-3, 2-0) have, perhaps surprisingly, earned two consecutive wins against PCL Class AA teams in blowout fashion, outscoring Conwell-Egan and Neumann-Goretti by a combined scored of 75-13. Next up is a date with West Catholic, the Class AA favorite.

Carroll failed to collect a league win the last two seasons competing in Class AAA division. The drop down in classification has evened the playing field.

"They go out there and see that the other sideline has 35 kids just like our sideline, and the other team has the same amount of kids going both ways," Powel said.

Certain players have developed tremendously under Powel. Dan Bier has at least one touchdown via kick return, receiving and interception. The 5-9, 160-pound wide receiver/safety has 14 catches for 243 yards, and is senior quarterback Sal Bello's main target in the Patriots' passing game.

"He always wants the ball in his hands and on defense ... he has that sixth sense where he can see where things are going," Powel said.

Ryan Boornazian is a 5-10, 175-pound defensive lineman with a motor that never stops. Boornazian is a big reason why the Patriots have allowed an average of 132.5 yards the last two weeks.

The Patriots have a realistic shot at competing for a Catholic League title as they seek their first winning campaign since 2007.

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Two starting quarterbacks are dealing with injuries.

Bonner-Prendergast's Jim Haley suffered a concussion in a Week 5 loss to Father Judge. He missed all of last week's victory over Lansdale Catholic, as junior Christian DiGalbo stepped in for the All-Delco and threw for 195 yards and a touchdown. Haley also is dealing with an injured shoulder, but coach Greg Bernhardt said he expects Haley to have full medical clearance in time for the Friars' Week 7 showdown with Cardinal O'Hara.

Meanwhile, Springfield's Cameron Durham missed most of last week's win over Radnor due to a lower-body injury. He's expected to return Friday night when the 5-1 Cougars host Penncrest.

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Cardinal O'Hara's Nolan Cummings has been a terror for opposing running backs.

The junior middle linebacker is enjoying a breakout year for the Lions and has impressed the coaching staff with his fierce work ethic and performance on the field. Cummings had several tackles for a loss in a 57-7 rout of Bishop McDevitt.

"He's had a great year for us at linebacker," Lions coach Danny Algeo said. "He's our defensive leader, and the great thing is we have him for another year."

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Sometimes the forgotten man in Haverford High's high-octane offense, fullback Alex Drum has quietly become one of the top players at his position in the Central League.

Drum had a season-high 94 yards and one touchdown in the Fords' 49-23 rout of Octorara in Week 6. He caught a 34-yard pass from Eddie Durkin that set up the Fords' sixth touchdown of the first half, nimbly avoiding tacklers along the way.

"For a kid his size, I've never seen a kid move the way he does," coach Joe Gallagher said.

Drum has registered 269 yards on only 26 carries (10.3 per carry).

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Around the State: North Penn's run of dominance in the Suburban One League Continental Conference ended last Friday when Central Bucks South stunned the Knights in come-from-behind fashion, 36-29.

The loss halted North Penn's 30-game winning streak in SOL Continental Conference play. Actually, it was the program's first loss in the conference -- ever. In addition, North Penn hadn't suffered a defeat to any SOL opponent since 2007.

The Knights, according to The Lansdale Reporter, are 3-3 for the first time since 2001. Granted, two of those losses came to PIAA Class AAAA powers, La Salle and St. Joseph's Prep, but what it does is put the Knights in a difficult position to even make the District One Class AAAA playoffs. They'll likely need to go 4-0 the rest of the way, an incredible challenge considering North Penn is a perennial District One championship contender. Though it's still early to play the match-up game, it's not far-fetched to think that Ridley, if it maintains its No. 1 spot in the District One playoffs, will possibly open the postseason against No. 16 North Penn, which was tied for 17th place in the standings through Week 5.

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Quick Hits: Marple Newtown scored 83 points in five games prior to last week's 45-27 pasting of Harriton. The Tigers churned out a season-high 329 rushing yards. They totaled 446 yards on the ground their previous three games. ... Strath Haven is 3-0 when Tevon Howie eclipses the 100-yard rushing mark and 0-3 when he doesn't accomplish the feat. ... Upper Darby's Kasim Brooks has proven to be very dangerous on special teams, averaging 35 yards on kick returns and 18 yards on punt returns.